True Freedom in the Son

Good morning and happy Independence Day 4th of July. This morning, my message is entitled, "True Freedom in the Son." Now, the 4th of July Is a special time and a very memorable one for me. I was just talking to Matthew Kunz just before the service and I graduated high school and brother Matthew Kunz graduated from high school in the bicentennial year of our nation. We are. We graduated in 1976. Do a little math there. 1776 + 24 + 21 + 200 and we are at the 245th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence are declaring independence from Great Britain. And that's our national birthday, you can say.

Now, for some of you may not be so familiar with just let me give you with his background. The whole idea, the concept here is one of Independence. And that's part of the fiber of America - Independence. And so what is the Declaration of Independence? It's a statement that was signed by 56 men drafted by Thomas Jefferson primarily but signed by other notable figures like John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and it turns out it wasn't actually signed on July 4th, but that's the date that they chose. After the war of 1812 decided that that's the day because it was around that time it was actually signed on August 2nd.

But the motto of our country is Proclaim Liberty throughout the land. That's on the Liberty Bell in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. And we as Americans like to talk about our freedom.

And our freedom is a God-given right. I'm going to define that in just a moment, in the beginning part, not the very beginning, but in the beginning part of the Declaration of Independence, its worthwhile to repeat it. It says, "We hold these truths (the truths of the Declaration of Independence) we hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal. And that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's a wonderful statement taken from the thoughts of the Bible.

The fore founders of our country believed the Bible. Not all were true Christians but they believed the Bible. They believed in God.

And that's an excellent statement of what God says the Liberty that belongs to us. Now, our country is not perfect when that statement was made It didn't apply to the slaves. It didn't apply to indigenous people that were there and others. And that is a shortcoming. So it's not perfect like no nation is perfect.

But America is special and we have great liberty given to us by God and don't let anyone tell you different. As brother. Matthew said, "It's not a perfect country. But that's why all people want to come here because it's a great country.

But let me just say something here. We should take our country and we should make the best of what God has given to us. And I disagree wholeheartedly with the idea that you have to destroy the past to improve the present.

Because people are people of their time. Let me give you an example. There's a very famous runner named, Jesse Owens who ran in I think the 1932 Olympics when Hitler was in power in Germany, and he won that Olympic event and everybody knows the outcome . He even outraced a racehorse. But you put Jesse Owens against anyone today and a high school athlete could burn him up.

But at that time he was the fastest man alive. And it's and it's it's just crazy to compare somebody from a different era because we know so much more now about physical training about science about sports psychology, you see. And so these men who drafted the Constitution they were godly men. They weren't perfect they didn't include the slaves. That they were wrong they didn't include indigenous peoples they were wrong, but let's move on from here and don't say that we're a terrible country because of it. You see, let me tell you current thought is that we have to just make things happen. We have to erase racism. Critical race Theory and all the rest. And there's some truth to that, it's wrong, but let me tell you something. The problem is this that thought has no idea with God because racism and looking at people different by their color, is due to sin and you can't erase sin. You can put all the public programs, all the social pressures but you're not going to erase the sin within man. You see. That's enough about that.

Liberty, the ability to do what you want to do without hindrance that's a great blessing. But let me just tell you something. It comes with great responsibility, we're going to talk about that. And I'm gonna contrast the liberty that we have as citizens as human beings political and amongst each other and a contrast that to the spiritual Liberty that we have in Jesus Christ, and let me tell you folks. There's no comparison. My text this morning.

is from John 8:36. Please put it on the screen. These are the words of Jesus. "If the Son capital "S" son, that's the Son of God, the son of man, that's Jesus. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." You shall be truly free. Point one, first, we are all, all of us Christians as well as the lost we're all under varying degrees of spiritual bondage to sin. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free. Would you look at that word? Keep it up there just for a minute Timothy. If the Son therefore shall make you free. I put in parentheses and then, what am I trying to tell you? Jesus was talking to religious Jews. They said, we are free men. We are the sons of Abraham and we've never been in bondage and so Jesus is talking to them and he's giving them what's called a first conditional statement. You don't need to understand that what that means, but just get the concept. If then if then Jesus is telling them they said that they were free. Jesus said, if in other words if you were free and you knew the Son you would be free. He's basically correcting them saying, you're not free. But if you were free, you have to have the Son you see. He was speaking to religious Jews. Now, just think about their statement, we have Abraham for our father and we've never been in bondage to any men, lie. They were under Roman rule at the time. How could they say that the Romans ruled the world. The Romans ruled Galilee, Judea. And they were under the oppression of Rome. True, they had some political clout they had a voice. The religious rulers had some some clout, some say. But you see, freedom must be defined. It sounds really good, I can do what I want, but could they really do what they want, not only Rome but let's expand that a little bit. There is bondage to the thoughts of other men. You see, they acted in a way so that other people would think that they were holy people. They were in bondage to that and everything that they did was based upon what other people thought of them. Is that true of you? Are you really free? You do what you want to do. You see if we live in a society, there's peer pressure there are people groups that you're a part of and in your people group, you have some degree of freedom. But you come outside that people group and your little bit careful of what you say. Yes, you have freedom but freedom comes with it a responsibility. I can do whatever I want and especially if somebody is not a Christian, they like to say that. Oh you Christians, I don't want that religion cuz I know you have to go to church every Sunday. If I want to go to the beach, I can't go to the beach. I want my freedom. You see.

You have to read the Bible and you have to do this and you have to do that and so because many lost people want to retain their autonomy, their freedom and they see religion as bondage! Because I don't want that. And so you think yourself to being a better privileged position? You can do whatever you want ,you see. But let me contrast that because the Bible teaches that were're all under bondage to some master or another. So let's begin with the saved and if you're lost like I said, you think that, I don't want to be a Christian because it's all a bunch of, I can't do this and It restricts my freedom and therefore It's bad.

But look at how the Christian views his freedom in Romans 8:15-17. It compares a Christian's freedom to a person who was lost and it says, Paul says to the Romans, you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear that's of the world. The world is held in bondage with fear. But Paul told them you don't have that bondage of fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption. You've been adopted by God whereby we cry, Abba Father. That's in the Aramaic. It's an endearing term for their father like Papa. And if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Now follow me a little bit, you see. The Christian has a relationship with God. They can say Abba Father, our heavenly Father, and when you have a relationship, you have certain freedoms and privileges that other people don't have, you see.

Just think about it in your own family life. Nobody can just come to the street and lay down in your couch and eat your food in the refrigerator, but you can do that. You have freedom because you're in a family unit, people love you, you have a relationship, you see. You see, you don't have that bondage of fear, that dog eat dog world. No, you have a heavenly Father that would take care of you. And so you have new relationships. You are a child of God. And you are joint heirs with Christ. He is our brother and our friend so that is the privilege that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ that lost people don't have. What else? People that don't know Jesus, that don't know God, the Bible says, their whole lifetime they're in the bondage of the fear of death.

I'm a physician. And I deal with people that have terminal illness. And let me tell you, everyone's afraid to die. They might express it in different ways, you see. Why are they afraid to die? Think about it. Many times death is not painful. They don't believe in life after death so they're not existing, but why? You should think about that because everyone born (it doesn't matter whether you believe in God or not) they know that life is precious. There's something wrong and weird about dying so they don't want to die, you see.

But for people that aren't Christians. That's all you got, this physical life. That's what you believe. That's all you got. So you are in fear. The Bible says, your whole lifetime you are in bondage to the fear of death, and many things that you do are related to that. You see, the Christian doesn't have that bondage, but the lost people have that bondage. That's all you have. So the world tells you, "Get the gusto. Live it up. Have as much pleasure as you can." They tell you that life is the stuff, the pleasures of stuff, of what life is made out and they are wrong. That's not true.

And then the lost should be afraid of the devil because there's a spiritual being that is very powerful, that is out to destroy you, that puts thoughts in your mind,

that God is bad, that God is not loving, that I can't trust Jesus, that my life is not worth it. I was talking to one person the other day who was very disappointed with some things and he was thinking about what's the purpose of life. I think the devil told him that. But a Christian has power over the devil. Now let me tell you,

the main issue with liberty has to do with what kind of liberty we're talking about. Let me go back to that. When you hear liberty, when Americans hear liberty, they think freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and those are good. In other words, I can do whatever I please. But if you knew your Bible, you would think, I don't want to do whatever I please because whatever I please may hurt me, whenever I please may be wrong and destructive, you see.

And as I said before, we are all under some degree of spiritual bondage, and Christ can set us free. Let me begin with the Christian. I told you that we're all under spiritual bondage.

And that spiritual bondage is a spiritual bondage to sin, and even Christians have some degree of bondage to sin, although not overwhelmingly so. The Bible says if we say we have not sin, 1 John 1:10, if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his truth is not in us, his word is not in us. What does it mean? To some degree, the Christian we're in bondage to sin to some degree. We have a sinful inner nature, and we can't set it free. The tempo of our life, the main overarching of our life should be of overcoming sin, but we can't, we will not be able to do it completely. We won't be able to abstain from sins entirely. And so, we are to a certain degree in bondage to sin. But what is the antidote, the antidote to stop sinning is to realize the power that we have in Christ. The Bible says in Romans 8:2 For the law of the spirit of the life in Christ, the law of the spirit of life in Christ, Jesus had me made me free from the law of sin and death. You see, there's two laws that we're all under, whether you're lost or saved, the law of the spirit of life In Christ for the Christian or the law of sin and death. Two laws. Two laws that we're accountable to. But if you're a Christian, you have the spirit of the law of life In Christ. If you're lost and you don't know Jesus, you are in the spirit, you are under the law of sin and death. One leads to life; the other leads to death. And our liberty, both for lost and saved, are in the confines of the law that we're under. That's very important. So Paul says of the true Christian in Romans 6:17-19, you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine, the gospel of Christ, you became the servants of righteousness. Yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. I want you to think. If you're a Christian, it talks past tense. You were a servant of sin. But then you obeyed from your heart. You saw that you are a sinner, and you trusted Jesus. And now you're a servant of righteousness. By standing, we are without sin. But we should not rest on that. We have to yield ourselves to holiness. We have to yield ourselves to be without sin. Will we sin? Yes. Should we want to sin? No. So, it's a progressive work. All of us to some degree are enslaved by sins, but it's a great difference between the lost and the saved. A person is either a servant of sin, of the law of sin, or a servant of Christ.

Now let's talk about the lost. The Bible says, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Why you commit sins? Because you're serving sin. You have a sin nature. And you're serving sin.

The desires of your heart, sinful, fallen, and you're serving what you want. Your sins, you see. Yes, you have liberty. You have liberty to do what you want. But what kind of liberty is this where you must obey your sinful heart? That's no liberty at all. Oh, I can go to Vegas whenever I want you. Yeah, I see. You must obey your lustful heart. You have no freedom. You are like your father the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. You must obey your inner depraved sinful instinct. Now it comes in different forms. Some people go to Vegas. Some people just want to be their own man or woman.

They don't want Christ. They don't want the spirit of life. They want to be their own god, and so you're going to obey your own autonomy. No, I don't want this. I want this. You're obeying your sinful heart, you see. And you're a slave to your heart. Let me tell you, the world is really good. You need a vacation. You deserve it. You work really hard. You deserve it. Don't tie yourself down. Enjoy yourself. Have pleasure. You have freedom; use it. Don't restrict yourselves. Don't listen to that preacher. Don't listen to your mother if she's a Christian. She wants to hold you down. You want to be happy. You want to do all your heart wants to do. Sounds really good. But you're just obeying your lust, and you're held captive by your lust. This is what the world says.

In 2 Peter 2:9, it says, while they promise them liberty, freedom, they themselves are the servant of corruption, of sin, for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is brought in bondage. So people tell you, go do it. Go ahead and do it. Have all the sex outside of marriage you want. Watch all the pornography you want. That's not wrong. That's biological, you see. Do it, do it, do it, do it. They boast of your freedom. Don't work on Sundays. That's going to stop you from getting money. And that's going to stop you from having pleasure, stop you from advancing.

You need to take care of number one.

You need to look at your future and grab and get a hold of it, get a hold of life. And it falls naturally into the desires of your selfish heart, you see. And it seems like wow the sky is the limit. I'm going to go for the gold. I have freedom, but in fact you are enslaved to the lust of your heart, you see. And that's no freedom at all. And all the while, while you're deluded with the freedom that you supposedly have, the end thereof is death. They're held in bondage to that which they think is freedom.

Second, the Son can free us from spiritual bondage. I told you all of us, all of us have some degree, varying degrees of spiritual bondage to sin. The Christian is not perfect. He wants to be. He has a new spirit of life In Christ. Life to obey that. It's freedom to do that, you see. Freedom to do that. He chooses to do that. Rather the sinner is enslaved to sin thinking all the while he enjoyed it, but he's just following the dictates of his wicked heart. But second, the Son, Jesus, the Son of God, and the Son of man can free us from our spiritual bondage. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free.

Now to the saved.

I'm reading from Galatians 5:13 - 15. For brethren you have been called unto liberty to do, whatever you please to serve Christ. Only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consume one of another. What is he talking about? The Christian has has great freedom in Christ to serve Christ. But when you have freedom, there is a temptation to be reckless. I can do whatever I please. After all I'm doing it in name of Christ, you see. But we have to be careful as Christians because there's other things that God has said that should make us be conformed to what his will is. And so Paul is telling them, yes you have freedom, but don't use your freedom to be fleshly, to devour other people, to eat people's heads up. We should love one another. So, we have the freedom to love. We have the freedom to glorify God and loved Him with all of our heart, mind, and strength. God has changed our heart, given us the freedom to do that, but we have to be very careful in our freedom, that we use our freedom in a way that glorifies God and not be so enthralled with our own freedom because our freedom, remember, it's our freedom to live the life of God in Christ. Before, we were captive by sin. We couldn't do that. So a real Christian who enjoys their freedom, enjoys the ability to obey God, to love God. They couldn't do it before. They're trapped in sin following the lust of their heart. And a real Christian has great spiritual liberty because they can now really, truly glorify God, love God, and love others. That is Christian liberty.

And Paul gives an analogy. He compares people that hear the word of God but don't do it. All of us are guilty of that to some degree. And Paul says . . . he gives an analogy. He says it's like a person looking in the mirror, sees himself, walks away, forgets about everything. What does that mean? Looking in the mirror is reading the Word of God. Walking away, forgetting means not doing the Word of God, you see. But what is the perfect law of liberty? Let's read that. James 1:25, Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continuing therein, he being neither a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this man shall be blessed in his deed. What is the perfect the perfect law of liberty for the Christian? It's when you read the Word of God, and you do the Word of God. That is liberty because you can do what your heart should want to do. Your heart should want to not only hear the Word of God but to do the Word of God, and that's liberty to be able to do what you hear and what you read. And when we read the Word of God but don't do it, we are going back into bondage. We look at the Word of God, and we don't do it, and we're not using our liberty the way that Christ gave it to us for, you see. That is the perfect law of liberty, to read the Word of God, to meditate upon it, to be convicted of it, and then to do it. That is Liberty. That is not constrained. That is not being held captive. You see, not all bondage is bad. As Luther said, I am bound by my conscience and the Word of God. There's a good bondage. We should be bound by our conscience and the Word of God, and that's a good bondage. That's the kind of bondage that we have in Christ, the spirit of the life in Christ, the perfect law of liberty when we read the Word of God, and like seeing the mirror, seeing the Word of God, we walk away and we don't forget it. We hide in your heart that we might not sin against Thee. We pray, God, help me to be conformed to the image of Thy Son. And what about the lost? How does the lost get some degree of spiritual liberty from bondage? Jesus was talking to some of the religious ruler, and this is what He said. John 8: 31-32, Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him (but they were not saved yet), if you continue in my word, but are ye my disciples indeed. And you shall (future), you shall (a promise), you shall know the truth (Jesus), and the truth shall make you free. What is Jesus talking about? He's saying, you believe in me. They weren't saved, but they thought yeah this seems to be the Messiah. They're a disciple. They're following Jesus, and He tells them so many words, yes, you believe in me in some sense. You're not saved, but if you continue in my word, then you will be a disciple. So there is spiritual Liberty for you. You're not saved, but you see that you are a sinner, you see that the local church is a place that's different. You want to be transformed, but you're standing between the world and the church. You're standing between the devil and Christ. And Jesus is telling you, if you continue in my word, then you shall be my disciple indeed. But if you don't continue my word, then you won't. There is potential and promise of spiritual liberty to all disciples, but you must continue in his word. And third and last, the Son can free us from all spiritual bondage. If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Truly free, not partially, not just a down payments, truly free. For the Christian I've said this before. Let me say it again. What is our position in Christ? Romans 8:2, for the law (the Christian's under the law of the spirit of life In Christ. And that has made us free for the law of sin and death. Thank God because our end does not result in death. We are in the law of life. That's our positions. We have eternal life,

But our freedom

is more than our position. You can have the spiritual freedom in a progressive sense now, and you should want it now. I have to correct Brother Nickell a little bit, not too much, but he talked about eternal life after you die in heaven, and that's true. But we can have eternal life now. This is eternal life, that they might know the one true and living God and Him whom He has sent. When you know the one true and living God and Jesus whom he has sent, then you have eternal life, and it continues after your body dies, you see. So you say you are a Christian this morning, but you're satisfied with your position. I have the life of the light in Christ. I'm not under the law of sin and death. But you are happy with the freedom that you have. You're not like the man who looks in the mirror and hears the Word of God. You walk away from the mirror, and you forget all about it. You're a forgetful hearer. You have not desired the full spiritual law of liberty which is available to you in Christ. And there's something wrong with that. If that's always the state of your heart, I'm saved, the work is done and no desire to be closer to God, no desire to be more like Christ, no desire to serve Christ, no desire for more holiness, then there's something wrong with that life. It's not representative of the Bible, and something's wrong, and that person needs to have repentance and revisit the issue if really you have any spiritual liberty at all in Christ. But what is true of the Christian that desires more of the spiritual liberty in Christ? What is the heartthrob of the real Christian that really wants spiritual Liberty, all that God will give him.

And we find that

in 1 Corinthians 15:52.

Look at the screen.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised Incorruptible and we shall be changed so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, Where is thy sting? O grave, Where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. What am I talking about? A real Christian wants to be like Christ, want to be more like Christ. He wants to be free from the body of this death that drags him down.

And that time will come when Jesus comes back, and we are resurrected, and we're caught up to meet Him. You see, a Christian, the Bible says that's our blessed hope. If you really have a blessed hope, and you really desire to be more like Christ, you'd be moving toward that. You'd be working on that. You'd be preoccupied with that. You want the total freedom that Christ has offered you, and that will come when it comes. So I asked you, Christian, tonight, this morning, is that true of you? Are you just into the motion, the outside motion, or is your heartthrob, I want to be more like Christ. When I sin, I hate myself, I want to be free from the body of this death. I would be more Christ so I got more power in answered prayer. I can disciple those who will see the need for Christ. Have you seen that your life is dead in sin and is empty, and you want to be completely free from that death.

And then to the lost, perhaps you're disciples. You are on that path

to real Liberty in Christ, but you're not there yet. What you need to do? You need to stop merely following Christ, and you need to come to Christ.

You need to stop following a concept, of what you think the church and come to the Son Himself to have life

When Jesus came, the Bible says in Isaiah, 61: 1, 2. When Jesus came, He preached Himself. He preached Christ. He said He proclaim liberty to the captives and open up the prison to them that are bound. He was preaching to lost sinners chained in sin, gave them liberty, preached them liberty, preached that you can get out of prison to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and soon the day of Vengeance of our God.

You see, Jesus preached that you are chained to sin, and he's offering you freedom. He's offering you to come out of prison.

But perhaps you're happy there. Perhaps you're happy there. There's a story of a man that was the Tower of London for many many years.

It's a famous prison in London. And one day the king allowed him to go free. They opened up the door of the Tower of London, but he was so used to that prison, he was so used to the dark that he stayed there. He was comfortable there, and he wanted to stay there. What about you? The Bible says that you were chained in sin. You're held captive. You're under the law of sin and death. You must obey your wicked hearts, and that leads the death. The Bible says that you must do everything in the word of the law or be judged. You're trapped. Do you sense that you're under judgment? Do you sense you have no control to change. And Christ has opened up the door of your liberty, to have a new heart of life so that you can know God, you can be part of this family, to have Christ as your brother, as your friend, a new life of joy and of peace. The door is open, and Christ is there. But are you comfortable in the world, in your sin? And if you are, you're going to be like that man in the Tower of London. And if you read that novel, you think, just get out. Wake up! Get out! Don't you see there's life out there, and there's death where you are. You're going to die, and so with you. You are chained to sin. You can't get free, and you don't want to get free. What a tragedy is this! Jesus offers you life, and you choose death.

I told you all of us are slaves to some degree. We either are a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. The question is this.

As Brother Thomas in his testimony gave. The question is this, who's your slave master? If we're all a slave to someone, the next question ought to be who's my slave master? If you're lost, your slave master is the devil, and he wants to destroy you. He is destroyed himself, he will be judged himself, and he wants to drag you down with him. You see, there're some people that are miserable, and they hate other people, and they want to drag people down with them. It gives them pleasure, you see. There have been poems and songs written about when I die, I want the world to die with me. You see that's a selfish person. If I'm going to have to experience sorrow and suffering, then I want everyone else to do with you because at least I'll be comforted knowing that I'm not the only one, you see. And that's the devil. The devil's days are numbered. He's destroyed. His work is destroyed by Christ. But he's not happy. He wants to tear you down too. He want to drag you down to Hell too. You're already under the law of sin and death, and He wants to keep you deceived and deluded. It's okay. You're happy. You don't want to go to church and lose your Sundays. You want to listen to that boring Bible. You don't want to have to go to evangelism. Look at all the weekends you can't do anything. Are you sure?

And the devil tricks you to think that you got it made. You have a great life. But in fact, you are a prisoner. In fact you have no life at all. You find the dictates of your wicked, hopelessly ruined heart, and you don't know anything about it. You think you have great freedom. You have no Freedom at all. When you die and stand before God, and you are sent to judgment, then you will see. But it's too late.

Who's your slave master? Is it the devil, or is it Christ who loves you and stood in your place on the cross so that you don't have to. He became a prisoner so that you could be set free. He took upon him the separation from God so that you don't have to, so that you can be a child of God

He loves you and he wants to spare you from all the suffering of captivity of sins and in the end, death.

You have to choose a slave master. Why not choose one he loves you, who takes care of you, whose life will be easy compared to your current life. And so as Brother Matthew mentioned a moment ago, The Lord Jesus says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart, you shall find rest for your souls. Are you laboring under the weight of sin? Do you see that all that the world and the devil has lied to you. This is great. Sin is great. But you know down deep, been there, done that, vacuous, empty. You don't have the joy, the freedom. You are chained to sin. And the worst part is eternal separation, judgment from God. You need to see yourselves being ruined, sin-chained, and come to the loving slave master whose arms are open. Yes, you will be a servant of Christ by being yoked with him, but he carries the burden. And you just walk along, and He'll guide you, and He'll love you, and He'll give you peace, and your sins will be forgiven. That's the message that I have for you. You can have liberty in Christ, true liberty, not a fake liberty, not a partial political victory, not a human victory. All those are shallow, certainly not a victory of spiritual because you are in bondage. True and complete victory and freedom only comes in the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to Him and experience light and life in the gospel. Let's all stand please

Our heavenly Father, we thank thee, God, that through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can be set free. We can be free from the vestiges, the bondage of sin, and we can be children of God and enjoy that relationship so much with the Father, with the Son, with brothers and sisters. Lord, we know we don't need to be chained to sin and have an empty experience. Lord, I pray that Thou would convince those who are lost. Show them first of all that they are in bondage to sin, and they have no peace, and they have no Joy, and they are pursuing a false hope. Help him to see that Christ offers them so much more, freedom to please you, freedom to have joy, freedom from sin and the power of sin. Lord, help to see that Jesus is who they need. Jesus is who they must have. Lord, I pray that the Spirit of God would convince them of this, and draw them to Thy Son. Set them free, God. That's why thou sent thy Son to proclaim deliverance to the captives, to set the prisoner. Let Thy will be done through this poor preacher's Invitation of Christ, God. Add the increase. Work in the heart.